Legal News

Indictment could affect civil suits against Carona

By Jason Siegel

The indictment against former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona could affect the civil suits accusing him of abusing power, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The county could be motivated to settle the suits, the Times reported, citing 'legal experts'.

UCLA law professor Stephen Yeazell told the newspaper that while a conviction in the criminal case won't greatly effect the county's defense in the civil lawsuits, it may be difficult to put together a jury who hasn't heard about Carona's indictment and is not "astoundingly uninformed."

U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford, who's hearing the criminal case and retired Lt. Bill Hunt's civil suit against Carona, has expressed concern about current media coverage affecting the jury pool in the criminal case.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on March 17, 2008 (boomark / email).